Kiss & Don't Tell
by GoldenHour
Summary: Its been ten years since the Second War. Magical cinema has become a craze. Its the night of the 1st Magical Cine Awards and Ginny Weasley is in stiff competition to be awarded Best Actress. Thousands of viewers watch as suddenly, she dies on stage. Aurors Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy must now solve the mystery. Who killed Ginny? A little romance and lots of mystery!
1. Chapter 1

The Awards

It had been ten years since the Second War and the wizarding world had come a long way. Bloodlines were getting more and more blurred, or it was just that people no longer cared about them much. While still concealed under the Statute of Secrecy, wizards had come closer to muggles, blending into their lives undetected to benefit from the best of both worlds. The latest fads always included something muggle-inspired as _ethnic-chic_. The use of electricity, telecom, and the internet, to the extent it was usable in magical locations, became common. The wizarding world was forging ahead into the next century.

With all of this grew a craze for muggle cinema. Soon wizards even started making their own films - with a few minor improvements of course. Viewers were actually _inside _the film. In certain cinemas, viewers could choose which character they wanted to be. For the costlier tickets, they could even re-write the film every time they went back to the cinema. It was a bit like muggle video games, except a lot more like real life and completely immersive. Pretty soon, magical film-making began to be considered as glamorous and refined an art as in the muggle world.

A few young pioneers of this magical-muggle technology blazed the trail - and now it was the grand reckoning of all their efforts. It was the night of the 1st Magical Cine Awards, celebrated in a gala attended by the who's who of the global magical community. A grand panel of celebrated artistes had been selected to judge the awards. The event was highly publicised and had the support of the Ministry, not just because it was the latest fashion but because magical cinema was seen as the epitome of wizard-muggle harmony, and a prime example of the good that could come from the muggle world.

The design of the lavish arena constructed for the event had been rumoured in the papers for months, but the crowds were still wowed at the unveiling. A sumptuous staircase made of what appeared to be diamonds, led up to the marble entrance of the foyer which was wreathed in golden trellises. Magical fairy lights hovered strategically around guests and sprinkled gold dust at their arrival. Amongst the first on the red carpet was Harry Potter, legendary victor of the Second War against Voldemort, now serving as Chief Auror at the Ministry. He arrived with Hermione Granger of the Golden Trio fame as his date for the evening, but the journalists did not get their hopes up. Their friendship was too well known in the magical world for their date to cause any buzz, and it had become even more cemented after the death of Ronald Weasley two years prior in a tragic accident.

While Hermione Granger did not set off a buzz for accompanying Harry Potter, she was still a reporters' darling. Initially known for her famed brains she was now also blessed with a stunning, glowing beauty that had come upon her as her youth fully bloomed and she was quite the sight for sore eyes. A successful lawyer, she spent a lot of time doing pro bono work supporting the rights of marginalised magical creatures.

A magical car apparated shortly afterwards carrying the very same Ginny Weasley, who was in the contention for the award of the Best Actress for her role in the film "Kiss and Don't Tell". Accompanying her was none other than the producer of said movie Theodore Nott. Ginny looked radiant in a sparkling blood red dress and the couple appeared to be on intimate terms.

Even as Ginny posed on the red carpet for the cameras, Astoria Greengrass, a contender for the same award for her daring role in the scandalous film "Daring to Bare" also walked in, and the icy glances between the two were not lost on the reporters. While film critics had fawned over Ginny's performance, Daring to Bare had broken all prior box office records.

The crowds lining the barriers were rewarded for their breathless wait when Draco Malfoy's well known black lamborghini finally apparated onto the red carpet. The camera flashes could be well mistaken for a lightning storm as he stepped out and then helped his date, who turned out to be the famous model Katya Ivanova. Draco Malfoy was well known for his excellent taste in picking his dates, but it was the mystery of the decade how this gorgeous man who also happened to be filthy rich had not yet been seen to be in a relationship. Paparazzi buzzed about him at every event to sniff out his feelings towards the women he would be with, but unfailingly Draco would appear at the next event with a new woman. His formidable mind had been instrumental in taking the Malfoy fortune to the next level and never allowed for a lapse in his privacy. Some years ago he had passed on the management of his businesses to various capable wizards and witches and to everyone's surprise, joined the Auror Office. He still remained involved in key decisions regarding Malfoy Industries (given he still owned over 90% of interests) but now his time was spent fighting magical crime.

Several other cars that apparated over the next few minutes included the esteemed judges, several members of the Weasley family, film critic Pansy Parkinson, the Minister of Magic Ernie MacMillan, the UK quidditch captain Colin Creevey, and several other film stars and film makers from the world over.

Almost the last to arrive was the desperately awaited chief guest of the evening: the American billionaire philanthropist Clive Gold, a muggle born wizard who spent most of his time in the muggle world, and was a huge supporter of the arts. Supporting various arts in the era after the Second War had been his dearest project and this event had come to fruition thanks in part to his efforts. His very handsome face was known all over the world and his passion and intellect made him as much an eligible bachelor in the US as was Malfoy in Britain.

Inside the awards ceremony, seating arrangements were such that key nominees and their special guests were in the front half of the massive hall on large round tables, with ticket-holders at the back of the hall in rows of seats. One large table in the front held most of the cast and guests of Daring to Bare. On an adjacent table sat cast members and guests of Kiss and Don't Tell. Both Harry and Hermione, invitees of Ginny Weasley, were on that table along with Theodore Nott and his guests Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. Although Ginny and Harry had stopped dating a few years after the Second War, they had remained good friends. A few of Ginny's family members including parents Molly and Arthur, along with Fred, Bill and Fleur Weasley are also in attendance.

In the minutes before the awards ceremony kicked off, the seated guests were chatting and being served with champagne while delectable hors d'oeuvres continually appeared on the tables. On the Kiss and Don't Tell table, undetectable undercurrents are at play.

Although Harry was invited by Ginny, a strained atmosphere appeared to exist between Harry and Ginny who were seated next to each other but talking to people on the other side of them. Ginny was speaking in low tones with Hermione to her left. Theodore, who along with the other men on the table was keenly aware of Hermione's raw sensual charms, looked nonchalant but was listening just enough to know they were discussing a romantic entanglement of some sort. Judging by the smile on Hermione's face he guessed it could be hers (but hoped it wasn't). Draco Malfoy, seated to the left of Nott was unusually quiet and dare we say, nervous? The other guests didn't know that he had eyes for only one person at the table, and his damned Malfoyness would not allow him to look at her too long.

Just as the announcement was being made that lights would be dimmed for the show to start on stage, Moly Weasley burst into tears. Ginny rushed over to her and had a whispered conversation with her, patting her hand but her eyes also shone with unshed tears. It was not hard to guess the exchange was about Ronald, whose absence was felt by many at the table.

Just as Ginny made her way back to her chair Clive Gold started the presentation of the awards. His charm and his passion were almost tangible, and women in the audience fell just a little bit in love with him as he talked about his humble beginnings, his love for art, and his vision to see juggles and wizards united in the pursuit of authentic art.

The first few awards were for technical skill and they were split across several films. In the pause between awards the audience speculated about the major awards. The award for the best actor was announced for Jack Graham, a Dutch actor who debuted in Daring to Bare. Anticipation mounted for the Best Actress when Clive slowly unfolded the parchment.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honour to announce that the best actress award goes to... Ginny Weasley!"

The entire hall erupted in fierce cheers as Ginny jumped up and hugged Theodore as others patted her back and congratulate her at the table. Then she headed up the staircase on the side of the stage to receive her trophy from Clive. Suddenly, the hall was plunged into pitch darkness. Confused whispers started when a thud and thump was heard from the area of the stage. Then, just as suddenly, the lights came back on. However, Ginny Weasley was not seen where she was standing earlier. Confused whispers rose in volume until it was hard to hear anything that was going on. Suddenly the cameras showed her fallen in a heap near the stairs.

Clive Gold rushed to her to help her up, and several officials also emerged from the stage wings to give aid. A woman official turned her over. Clive's face blanched and he fell back from the huddle with unseeing eyes, his hands covering his mouth. An official slowly stood up and made to say something. The audience fell to a pin-drop silence. In a hushed, disbelieving voice he said, "She is dead."

Molly Weasley fainted.

A/N: Hi everyone! I have a pretty complex plot line and I haven't written a mystery story before this. I'd appreciate any constructive comments but please note I am writing to learn, and it will not be perfect. On that note, I'd love some help if someone has time to beta for me. I want to keep it a fast-paced story and make sure everything is clear! Look forward to your reviews & thoughts on chapter 1... too slow?


	2. Chapter 2

The Aftermath

Some semblance of peace and quiet was only now beginning to fall on the arena. As soon as the incident happened, the emergency system had been activated which instated wards that did not let anyone apparate into or disapparate from the hall. The standby security forces had sealed the area around the crime even as extra aurors had been called in on an emergency basis. Now it was several hours later, and the scene had been combed and sealed. The names and photographs of all in attendance at the hall had been taken after checking for the use of polyjuice and any appearance altering charms and spells. Finally guests were being allowed to disapparate home.

Harry was standing with his arm around an exhausted Hermione, who was holding Molly's hand as she sobbed. Molly had not stopped crying all through the night and Arthur was in no better shape. Fred and Bill had informed their brothers who had all wanted to come but outsiders were not allowed into the arena for now, and the Weasleys could not leave until the formalities were done. Harry felt dreadful about it. Sometimes aurors had to be heartless.

Draco Malfoy, his second in command, was taking Arthur's statement on how Ginny had been over the last few days.

"She really hadn't spent much time with us recently - she had such busy shooting schedule. She returned from the US just day before yesterday. She didn't stay at the Burrow anymore because she had so many meetings in London, she was staying at a hotel there," Arthur said.

"Gin was the same way as always, she loved her work and she was having the time of her life. I can't imagine anyone hating her enough to..do...this to her," added Bill, while Fred wiped away a tear from his eye.

Draco had to ask Molly a question directly because he had been at the table and knew that Molly was the last person Ginny spoke to. He sat down on his haunches so that he was face to face with Molly in her chair, and put his hand on her arm.

"Molly - I know this is really hard for you, but the more information we have the better it would help us catch the killer. Whoever did this to Ginny, we will catch that person. Please, I need to know what it was you and Ginny spoke about just before the awards."

Molly hiccupped and rubbed her hands over her face. This was the woman who had stood down Bellatrix in the Second War, but her current condition suggested that being a mother made you not just the strongest but also the weakest you could possibly be.

"It was about Ron. I was thinking, all day I was thinking, he should have been here tonight to see his sister get this award. He would have been so proud. I couldn't help but cry when I thought of my little boy, how he died in front of me with his food allergy and we couldn't do a thing. I was telling Ginny tonight that I wish Ron was here and she said she wished he was here too. Now my baby girl is gone as well. I've lost them both," and a fresh bout of crying racked her frame.

Draco patted her arm as Harry tapped his shoulder and asked him to step back, and he went and sat next to Molly instead. "Molly, I miss Ron like my own brother. I lost him and I couldn't do anything about it. But I want to catch Ginny's killer Molly. Please think and let me know if there was anything else over the past few days or weeks that was odd about Ginny."

Molly's sobs slowly quieted down and then in a broken voice she said, "Ginny wanted to talk to me about something earlier today. She stuck her head in the floo but I had Bill's kids over and they were breaking down the house so I told her I would see her at the awards. Then tonight when we talked she said she had something important to tell me afterwards."

Harry felt Draco's back stiffen. He asked, "Did she say what this was about? Did she give you any hint or look upset?"

Molly thought for a few moments. "No - she just said it as we talked about Ron tonight, I said I wish he hadn't died so he could see you here, and she said she had something to tell me after the awards. She didn't say about what."

Harry finally stood back up and exchanged a look with Draco. Years of working together meant they could reach each other's expressions easily and now each of their faces said they had gotten what they could for tonight. They needed to let the Weasleys go home.

After goodbyes and condolences all around finally the last little group started to leave and only Harry, Draco and Hermione were left. Harry turned to Hermione and said, "I know it's been a difficult night for you but Draco and I need to ask you the same question and then I will see you off home and make sure you're OK. Would that be all right?" The tenderness with which Harry held Hermione around her shoulders was not lost on Draco. Harry almost seemed to forget Draco was there, so finally he cleared his throat. It seemed to snap Harry out of it and he squared his shoulders and asked Hermione, "What was Ginny's mood tonight? What did you both talk about before the awards started? Did she say anything that made you think she might be upset?"

Hermione thought for a moment and said, "She seemed so nervous to me tonight. I knew her so well that I thought her nervousness had to do with the awards but could it have been about something else? I did not ask her outright, I was trying to distract her actually by talking about her recent travels."

Harry perked up at that and said, "Where did she say she had been?"

Hermione looked embarrassed, "I'm not sure Harry, I know she was in America, but we weren't talking about the places she went."

Understanding dawned on Harry. He also knew Hermione was trying to spare his feelings, little knowing that his feelings had stopped being about Ginny a long time ago. "Don't worry Mione, you can tell me. Was she with a man? This could be really important to the case."

Hermione nodded and gave Draco an apprehensive look before turning back to Harry and saying, "She didn't name any names but the way she was talking about him and blushing when he was on stage, I think it was Clive Gold."

Draco and Harry wanted to compare notes so it was decided that the two of them would apparate home with Hermione to make sure she was all right and then discuss briefly while things were still fresh in their minds. Draco stood off a little to the side as Harry kissed Hermione's temple and whispered good night to her. Just before she turned into the door Hermione turned to Draco and said, "Good night Draco - thanks for your help with everything." Almost two decades had he known her but her smile still left him speechless. All he could do was nod.

Harry and Draco apparated back to the Auror offices where they found a missive from Tabatha Prescott, the Head of Magical Defense, to floo her immediately. Harry was a bit surprised, as his path did not often cross with Prescott. While he was the Chief Auror, meaning his responsibility was policing the day to day civilian and criminal activity of the magical world, Prescott was the equivalent of an army chief, whose mandate was to defend the nation.

Draco and Harry poked their heads into the floo and found her at her desk. She asked them both to come into her office. Brushing the soot off their clothes, both the wizards stepped in.

"I don't know exactly how to tell you both this, if you haven't considered this already, since it's not a pleasant topic", she began. As she spoke she poured and handed each of the men a glass of fire whisky. Draco downed his straight away. Harry sipped and listened to her as she went on. "The thing is gentlemen, since you were both at the scene of crime - and in fact interacting with Ginny Weasley just before the incident and have close personal associations with her in any case - I hate to tell you this but you are both suspects as much as anyone else."

"What?" exclaimed Draco. "We have been taking statements all night and collecting evidence, and you only just thought of this?"

"Calm down Draco" said Harry. Looking at him carefully Draco realised this thought had in fact already occurred to Harry. "Its the Trial By Fire, isn't it?" Harry asked Tabatha.

"Very good Potter. You remember your Auror training well. I know these incidents don't occur often enough to deserve much study but in the rare event when a senior auror is under suspicion for a crime where she or he is also in a position to be an asset to the investigation, as you are for the same reason you are suspects - then the Auror is given a Trial by Fire to prove his or her innocence in a speedy manner. It is not a pleasant test and your refusal to take it will not diminish your credibility in the investigation. You will be investigated as any other suspect but in the meantime you will not be involved in the case or any other cases."

"What does the test entail?" Draco asked quietly.

"It is literally a trial by fire. If you accept I will instate a fire of purity into which you will step. The sensation you will feel will be that of a real fire, and you will feel as if you really are burning. The pain is truly excruciating, and is the reason your refusal to take the trial will not be seen as an admission of guilt. However rest assured that it is in fact a magical fire and no matter how painful, it will not actually harm you if you are innocent."

Reading the unspoken question in both pairs of nervous eyes she carried on, "If however, an auror is guilty of the charges against him, the fire will in fact burn him for real and consume him."

Harry took up his glass of fire whisky as Draco reached for the bottle to pour himself another. Neither said a word for a few moments and finally Prescott spoke again.

"Do you need more time?"

Harry placed his glass on the table as Draco shrugged. They exchanged a look and then said in unison, "We don't need more time."

Draco added, "Can we get to it quick because I for one would love to get some sleep tonight." Harry turned to him and smiled his first smile since Ginny died.

xoxoxoxo

The Trial over, as Tabatha Prescott was seeing off Draco and Harry at the floo she asked them to send her their update the next day on everything they had uncovered so far.

"If Clive Gold is indeed your prime suspect, then this will be a matter of significant diplomatic importance. I would like you both to keep me in the loop on everything."

Tabatha continued, "The preliminary reports on the spell used show an advanced magic that has not been recorded previously. It seems to be a modification of the Avada Kedavra spell, muting the green light effect. Not only was it performed wandlessly and silently it was possibly performed over a distance ranging anywhere between 10 meters to 100 meters. We are dealing with a very advanced wizard here, the likes of which I have not seen in my Auror career. At the risk of being ignored, I would like to request both of you to be very careful."

Harry nodded his head. "We will do our best. Good night."

Harry and Draco apparated back to their office and decided to kick off the investigation the next day by talking to Clive Gold. They were about to call it a night when suddenly a silver otter, evidently a patronus, came flying in through the office window. "Hurry Harry," it said in Hermione's voice, "I need you."


	3. Chapter 3

Memories

Harry shouted hastily, "That's Hermione's patronus. We need to go to her, now!" Draco just about managed to grab one end of Harry's robes to side-along with him to Hermione's flat. Harry was too flustered to think about the fact that never in his life had Malfoy seen where Hermione lived.

They arrived in her living room and seeing it was empty, Harry rushed to her bedroom with Draco close behind. They found Hermione sprawled on the floor next to her bed, her face red as she gasped loudly. She was clearly having trouble breathing. Harry ran to her side. "Hermione! Are you choking? Did someone hex you? Malfoy - take a look through the apartment for the intruder", he shouted, all the while clutching her in a tight grasp and trying to shake her.

Draco walked over to where he was and pried his fingers from her shoulders, which led to Harry angrily jerking away from him. "Do as I say Malfoy, I need to get her to St. Mungo's right away."

Draco tried to speak calmly, "Potter - it's a classic panic attack. Believe me - I've seen enough of these in my life to tell when someone's having one. You need to step back and give her some air," and pulled Harry away from Hermione gently, like a bomb that could go off any minute.

He dashed into Hermione's small kitchen and came back to the room with a paper bag. "Here, Hermione," he said gently to the gasping girl. "Breathe in and out of this. You are just having a panic attack. I'm sure you know this already. It's when you breathe too quickly and there is too much oxygen in your blood." Placing one hand under her head he brought the bag and held it in place in front of her mouth. "There's a good girl. Just keep breathing and try to calm down." Draco turned to look at Harry who had a pained expression on his face.

Once Hermione's hyperventilation subsided, Draco gave her a glass of water to drink and gently helped her up off the floor. She leaned against him as he murmured soothing words in her ear and helped her sit back down on her bed.

When she looked better, Harry finally asked, "What happened Mione? Did something or someone set you off? Is that the first time you've had a panic attack?" To most of the wizarding world, Hermione was a successful, intelligent and well-balanced woman. Seeing her weak like this was disturbing even for Harry.

"On and off, but it's never gotten so bad before. I just came back home tonight and found myself reliving everything that happened with Ron, and now Gin. I just can't believe they're both gone." Draco, who had sat down next to her to continued to support her weight, running his hand in circles on her back as she leaned more into him. Harry's eyes surveyed their arms around each other.

"Malfoy, maybe you could get Hermione a cup of tea. Chamomile should help calming the nerves. I'll try talking to her for a bit."

Disentangling himself very slowly from Hermione's arm, Draco rose up off the bed and gave Harry a fixed look before leaving the room. Harry promptly sat down in the place he had vacated.

"I know what you mean. Seeing Molly like that, it was as if we were back at the Burrow, two years ago."

Hermione shuddered and said, "No mother should have to go through seeing two children die."

Harry grasped her hand and said, "But Mione, I'm going to catch whoever did this to Gin, I promise you."

Hermione tried to give Harry a brave smile and pecked his cheek just as Draco walked in with a cup of tea. He placed it on her bedside table and she reached over to give his hand a squeeze. When he looked into her eyes she smiled her thanks.

He sat down in an arm chair at the foot of her bed. He was completely exhausted, and seeing Hermione that way had enervated him. He was glad they had gotten there when they did. If just the memories of Weasley's death could set her off like this, he was glad he hadn't been there when it had actually happened.

The truth was Potter and himself were a well-oiled machine. While they had never been one other's greatest fans growing up, each man knew the worth of a reliable and skilled partner. Over the course of numerous assignments they had built a solid rapport based on mutual respect and trust, even if they weren't quite friends.

He didn't have to be Potter's closest confidante to tell what was on his mind anyway. Anyone with half an eye and two grey cells to rub together could tell you he was in love with his best friend. Draco had been watching when Harry left Ginny all those years ago, and it was clear as night and day even then. Why Hermione didn't get it despite her legendary smarts, was a mystery to him.

This woman would be the death of him yet. Time kept going by and yet her effect on him never lessened. But she wasn't the only one with memories tonight.

Ever since he was eleven he had always been intrigued by her, jealous of her. Desperate to show how much better than her he was. But as they grew up he could not deny that there was something about her. Most of the fellows in their year were carrying a torch for her. Even Malfoy had to admit she was not too bad to look at. He remembered how working on various student committees and attending classes together, somewhere along the line his sneer for her had fallen away. Somewhere along the line her quick retorts had faded away.

They had returned to finish their schooling that fateful year of loss and hope following the Second War. It was the very last week of their last term at Hogwarts. Draco was restless - restless to leave behind all that had gone wrong for him and in him. But he was also restless not to leave, plagued by the sense that there was too much left unfinished.

It was a spring afternoon with a hint of summer. During one of his restless walks through deserted corridors towards the back of the castle, he happened upon a secluded courtyard. Light filtering through the leaves of a handful of trees dappled the ground. Draco felt an inexplicable desire to step in and once he did, he found Hermione sitting with her back to one of the trees.

She was still in her school robes and absolutely alone. Her eyes were closed, her expression one of complete bliss. Draco was mesmerised by the sight but unknowingly stepped on a stone that rolled away, snapping her out of her reverie. Her eyes focused on him before her smile had quite faded. With no pretext and no context, she said to him, "Wasn't it all just so wonderful?" And without knowing himself, he'd murmured, "yes, it was wonderful." She's smiled at him and then gotten up and walked off before he'd thought to stop her. As clearly as if it had been yesterday, he remembered it as the exact moment when he realised he was in love with her.

He could date a million models and yet, his heart never beat quite so fast as when she was in the same room as him. Though that was something that did not happen often enough. Draco was an extremely private person and he avoided doing things that would become fodder for the entertainment of the public. In any case, there had been little for him to do to change the way things had been since the beginning - he never was a part of her life and never would be.

As a bystander at the very periphery of her life, he had watched as she had dated Weasley exclusively since school. What she saw in him, he couldn't for the life of him tell. Even after Weasley's quidditch career took off and he moved to the US to play in a professional league, and Hermione's early success in her law career rooted her firmly to Britain, the newspapers kept reporting them as a couple. Not long before Weasley died, there were rumours of a possible engagement. He remembered the heartache he'd felt.

Potter finally finished crooning in her ear and made to leave. Draco chanced one lingering glance at her and saw her shining eyes and smiling lips. He turned away.

As they stepped out the doors, Harry said to Draco, "Thanks for your help in there. You had much better presence of mind than me tonight. How did you realise it was a panic attack so easily?"

Draco stayed quiet a moment before responding, "My mum. She would have them all the time when the Death Eaters had moved into Malfoy Manor. It wasn't all fun and parties as you lot imagined it to be."

Harry patted his back and said, "Thanks mate."

Draco ventured, "Inside wasn't the best time or place to ask this - but was Weasley engaged to Hermione?"

Harry shot him a sharp look. "Not to my knowledge."

After thinking a minute he carried on speaking but quietly, almost to himself. "Ron's death was hardest on Hermione. Ron had been having a difficult time as it was. Just a few weeks before he died he was fired from the Flying Eagles for purported abuse of performance enhancing substances. The story got more murky because some of his team mates went on record to say he was having hallucinations which were ultimately attributed to a drug habit. He was a bit of a mess and deteriorating, so Molly had called him home just to help him out. Hermione hadn't been at the Burrow that morning but she was hoping to get Ron to move back and sort everything out in their lives.

And then suddenly, just as he was having breakfast much as he always did at the Burrow, he had a terrible reaction to something in the food and collapsed. Arthur took him to St. Mungo's right away but even so we lost him. Nothing could have been done."

"You're right - that's pretty hard on a fiancee to lose her young partner with no warning at all."

"I'd have hoped Hermione would have been moving on now and found someone else to love, but I'm worried tonight just undid the last couple years for her."

Then snapping out of it with a loud yawn he said "It's almost dawn. Get some sleep and see you tomorrow,". Harry turned on his heel and disappeared and Malfoy soon followed suit.

oxoxoxoxoxo

_A/N - I revised the fic summary to take out the ships, and changed it to "Crime/Mystery" just to manage expectations. In my head this is primarily a mystery fic, and any romance will likely be slow to develop. I also wanted to warn people about nasty surprises in store for various characters, so if you ship anything hard, and want to primarily read a romance fic, then maybe this isn't the fic for you. (There, now I've lost half of my 4 readers! :-)) At the risk of losing you guys, I'd rather not disappoint you later when you've read several chapters._

_Still on the lookout for a Beta!_


	4. Chapter 4

All That Glitters

Harry had a fitful few hours of sleep interspersed with nightmares. The little sleep he did get was interspersed with images of a silk-clad Hermione in his arms, much as she had looked last night in her sleepwear. (In his dreams though, she wasn't crying at all, but emoting something entirely different.)

Draco woke up with the distinct impression that he had spent the past few hours holding and murmuring sweet nothings to Hermione in her silk PJs. Reluctant to get up he thought it was cruel how sometimes dreams felt more real than reality - and were infinitely better.

Shortly after 10am, Harry and Draco arrived at The Dorchester, the muggle hotel where Clive was staying. As they waited at the reception to be rung up to his room, Draco said, "I think we should not give him any hints that we know about his association with Ginny. Let's see what he reveals on his own and what he hides." A nod from Harry confirmed that the idea sounded good to him.

They were accompanied by a guard with a security key to let them into the elevator that would open directly into the penthouse suite on the roof. Harry's eyes bugged out a bit. "I had no idea this hotel was this sweet." Harry said enthusiastically to Draco, who hummed back in agreement but didn't meet his eye. As the elevator doors dinged open, Harry looked around the opulent suite in awe.

A somewhat disheveled Clive Gold met them in the entrance hall. "Morning gentlemen, please come in and make yourselves comfortable." He ushered them in past the cloakroom into a spacious living room adjoining an oval dining room.

Looking around the suite curiously, Harry ended up walking in almost until the door of the bedroom. The interiors were contemporary in style with art deco influences and combining rich dark natural materials with light colours and soft textures. A wrap-around balcony offered panoramic views of muggle London. This place was amazing!

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Draco politely clearing his throat. He looked back and blushed to see Draco and Clive seated on the sofas in the outer lounge. As Harry walked back to join them, Draco subtly assessed Clive's appearance. He had met the man on many occasions, but had never seen him look this tired. Clearly someone else too had had a sleepless night."Well. He's either killed a girl - or had a girl murdered not ten feet from him - so I guess that makes sense," Draco mused.

Harry began by saying, "Clive - we need to ask you a few basic questions just to know your schedule and interactions with Ginny Weasley if any in recent days. As you might have guessed your proximity to the murder victim last night does not look good for you. We need to try to get as much information from you as possible to get to the bottom of the matter. Is that all right?" Without a moment's hesitation, Clive responded, "Whatever you need for your investigation. I want to be as helpful as possible."

As Harry prepared his charmed quill to take notes and started asking questions, Draco observed that beneath the exhaustion and confusion Clive was a fundamentally composed man, as was said about him.

"Are you visiting the UK just for the Cine Awards or did you have further plans here?"

"This trip was just for the awards, but I am in and out of the UK very often on work and for some personal projects"

"If you don't mind detailing which personal projects bring you to the UK?"

"Certainly. The cine awards are a personal project to me since neither my businesses nor myself profit in any way from the time and money I spend on promoting and encouraging cinema. I have other projects like this such as research foundation I have here for exploring magical DNA to help treat and reverse various genetic diseases in wizards and muggles. I have been spending quite a bit of time also on the board of a charity that works on using magic to uplift living conditions of very poor muggles in less developed countries."

Harry continued with his tone of questioning but had to admit the man commanded a certain respect. It was difficult to grill him like a common criminal. Now he understood why Tabatha had said this could be hard.

"Did you spend much time in the US recently or have you been travelling a lot?" Draco knew Harry was indirectly probing to check if Clive would own up to his recent travels with Ginny.

"Well I took my yacht out to the Caribbean for a few days just a week or so ago. My first holiday in two years," he added with a boyish smile. "I've been spending about half my time in both places overall I'd say."

"And how well did you know the deceased Ginny Weasley prior to the awards last night?"

"I had had the pleasure of making Ms. Weasley's acquaintance at a party in California last year, and had again bumped into her at another party a month or so ago in the US, but I really can't say I knew her at all. She was a charming girl, but unfortunately only a passing acquaintance."

Draco felt Harry cast him a quick, guarded look.

"Mr. Gold, we know we asked you this last night but we wanted to check if anything else may have come to your mind about the sequence of events leading to Ms. Weasley's death last night?"

"Well - certainly, although I don't have much more to add I'm afraid. I was on the stage announcing the winners as you know. The envelopes were already stacked in order of the awards to be given out and when I came to hers, I announced her name. From the stage I couldn't see so well due to the lights, but I think she embraced her associate Mr. Nott and walked to the stage. She had such a smile on her face! She looked so happy. But then just as she was coming up the stairs, the lights went out all of a sudden and flickered back on a minute or so later. I think I heard a thump, and it could have been her falling. By the time the lights were back she had already collapsed. I rushed to her to help out but just one look at her was enough to tell me that she was... dead." Clive's face took on a pallor like it had last night on seeing Ginny.

"If he's the murderer he sure has a weak stomach." Draco joked to himself. "Or seriously great acting skills."

Harry felt they had got what they could for now. "Thank you for your cooperation Mr. Gold. I would advise you don't leave the country just yet, and especially not without the express consent of the Auror office. It could make your situation look worse and, just to be blunt, we wouldn't want to have to resort to extradition and make this more messy than it already is. If you just cooperate with us, we will try our best to move the investigation along as quickly as possible so the guilty party can be caught, or at least the innocent are exonerated."

"I appreciate your advice Mr. Potter. I have many businesses and other concerns in several parts of the world. I will try my best to cooperate with your investigation and if I need to travel I will reach out to you in advance."

"Thank you."

"And Mr. Malfoy. May I thank you kindly for what you have done with the place. This really has become one of my favourite hotels in the world."

Draco nodded his thanks to him, said "Good day", and walked out the door while Harry followed, gaping.

Outside the doors of the suite, Harry jogged to keep up with Draco who had paced far ahead "Malfoy! You... you OWN this place?"

"It's time to get to our next stop Potter," Draco growled before turning on his heel and disapparating.

Harry scrambled to quickly follow him to Theodore Nott's house.


	5. Chapter 5

Desire

Theodore's mansion was located in a fashionable magical neighbourhood in west London. Harry caught up with Draco just as he was about to knock on the door. Deciding that Draco's gait was too fast for him to keep up with if he decided to leave him behind again, Harry dropped the topic of The Dorchester and asked instead, "Let's compare notes on Gold while that interview is still fresh in our heads."

"What's to compare notes on? I thought it was straightforward. Chap seems to be clean."

"Straightforward? The man is a phenomenal actor but guilty as the devil. Why else would he hide his relationship with Ginny?" Harry said irritably. "As I see it we just need to find some proof and nail his arse."

"Potter - in case you have forgotten, Granger didn't say she was certain that he was the guy Ginny was with. Its just her hunch. We can't assume her hunch to be the truth."

"I guess you just don't know her as well as I do. Hermione knew Ginny really well. And Hermione is never wrong."

"Yeh yeh so go arrest some more famous foreigner billionaires based on her hunches why don't you, while I go tell the Aurors to go home as we don't do fair investigations anymore. Meanwhile, I seem to recall Nott's secretary telling us he was leaving for a meeting at 11.30 sharp, so if we don't go now, we are going to miss him altogether."

"Whatever Malfoy. You're going to find out the hard way." Harry said as he pushed past Draco and stepped up to knock on the ornate wooden door.

They were let into an opulent drawing room which was decorated entirely in white. One entire wall of the room was floor to ceiling glass french windows, outside which rolled an endless expanse of green grass. Sunlight streamed directly through the windows, making the long sheer white curtains billowing about appear enchantingly phantasmagoric. Harry suspected the use of illusory charms to highlight contrasts between light, shadows, and colours, between the iridiscent green of the lawn outside and the virginal cloud white inside. "Same tricks that are used to enhance film shooting sets", he thought. "The guy probably can't tell cinema from reality anymore."

Just then Theodore entered the room, wearing a bathrobe and swirling a glass of what Draco could swear was fire whiskey, appearing to be in no hurry for any meeting at all. Even in this messy state he was a regal looking man. Draco knew Theodore since their time in Slytherin, and had been his guest at the Cine Awards. He wasn't looking forward to grilling him at all, particularly since he knew Theodore's particular brand of madness a bit too well. The firewhisky in the morning hours was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the wholly irreverent way in which his friend lived his life.

"Welcome my friend! Welcome Harry Potter! Blessed is my homestead for your holy feet to grace it." He was smiling, but there was no real happiness.

Harry and Draco nodded their greeting as Theodore showed them to the sofa to have a seat. "What can I get you? I suppose for the normal people it's time for pumpkin juice. I suppose you're normal people these days Draco."

Draco allowed himself a small smile. "I've sowed my wild oats and turned over a new leaf. I'm leaving the life in the fast lane to the experts like you."

Nott chuckled. "Life in the fast lane indeed. Easy come easy go. Its the way of the film world."

Harry didn't know Nott well enough to read him. Could it perhaps be that this absurd behaviour was his way of mourning for the loss of his young protege? Harry wondered.

"Nott - it would be helpful if you could start by telling us how well you knew Ginny Weasley. Was your relationship with her purely professional or also personal?"

Nott's face twisted with something akin to rage before he replied, "yes Potter, let's boil down the deep, fascinating, cosmic intercourse between two souls to plain meaningless words - professional, personal, magical, foolish." He took a long swig of his drink. "Let's throw some labels on the dead lady."

"Besides," he added, "don't you know there's no difference between professional and personal when it comes to films? Or do you not read the gossip rags?"

Before Harry or Draco could retort he got up off the couch and grabbed what looked like a muggle remote control and pressed a button. Instantly the wall at one end of the room started caving open into a black void, while simultaneously a wall started coming down from the ceiling to cover up the french windows and banish all the natural light. The space was now lit by some unseen light source.

Harry started to speak up when Nott said, looking at Draco, "Come, come my friend. You've come all the way to question me and suspect me. How can I not show my best hospitality? Come come and give a moment's attention to my newest toy."

Draco, who knew Theodore better than to try to abort this tantrum, spoke over the sputtering Harry to say, "What is it Nott?" Keeping himself objective as to the possibility of his friend's implication in Ginny Weasley's murder, Draco was still worried because Nott was being stranger than usual.

"Enter with me into a magical cine experience never before brought in front of public audiences. I have spent millions of galleons over the last five years developing this technology. It was perfected in the days just before the Awards. Ginny was going to act in my first project that would blow away audiences everywhere." For a moment his face crumpled with sadness.

Collecting himself, he boomed, "Draco, meet the Erised Cine System, my six dimensional film theatre."

Harry, whose knowledge of the physical sciences was limited to what he had learnt till the age of 10 while living in Privet Drive, and a smattering of muggle studies courses thereafter, was silently counting on the fingers of one hand. "Length, breadth, height,...", and looking confused.

Nott, who was watching him with a cat-like smile on his face said, "Time, Potter. The fourth dimension is time, namely the present. Muggles live in a four dimensional world. We wizards live in a five dimensional world, our fifth dimension being magic of course. The magical dimension joins up with higher dimensions when we use for example, time turners.

In the Erised System I have added a new time dimension, for the past. The arrow of time goes straight in the muggle and magical worlds, but inside my film theatre ... well, you'll see."

With that, the lights darkened and viewing goggles appeared onto Draco's and Harry's faces which they knew transported them into the film.

It could have been five minutes or fifty, but as they watched the show Nott gave them, Nott watched them. Their faces showed bafflement, curiosity, and anger. Harry in particular was squirming in his seat. Ultimately though, there was a new emotion that overrode all others.

Nott's business was the study and expression of the human experience and he knew what arousal looked like on a man's face better than any man himself.

Laughing to himself, he brought Harry and Draco to the edge, and pressed another button on the remote which led instantly to the goggles dissolving away, the wall closing up again and the french windows reappearing, bringing with them sunshine and normalcy.

Harry quickly jumped to his feet and stalked to Nott, and pointed his wand at his neck. "You disgusting animal. How did you do that? Hermione would never... she would never ever act in a film like this. What did you do make her do it? Are you having actresses illegally impersonate her with polyjuice because I will drag you to court and make you pay for this, I swear to Merlin."

Draco, while not yet attacking his friend, also came up to them but he made no attempt to save his friend from imminent annihilation by Harry's wand. His silver eyes had hardened and were glittering dangerously.

Nott ignored Harry's words completely and asked Draco, "And you, Draco? What did you think?"

"I think Potter is right that Granger would never lower herself to something like this. So whatever illegal racket you have going on in here, you better tell us or I am not going to be responsible for the consequences."

At that, Nott started guffawing. Both Harry and Draco were taken aback. Even with Harry's wand poking hard into his neck, and slumped over in Harry's hands where they gripped his collar, he was overcome by mirth. Harry poked his wand harder into his throat and shouted "Shut up you bastard. I will hex you this moment."

Nott stopped laughing with some difficulty, while tears of mirth swept down his face. "So you see her too, do you Draco? How wonderful - that makes all three of us in this room."

Harry's blood was boiling and he was deciding which hex to start with when he felt Draco's hand on his arm. "Let him go Potter. I think I see what is going on here." He pushed down Harry's wand arm till it was by his side, and Nott fell back onto the couch he had been sitting on.

Harry turned to Draco. "What the hell is going on here Malfoy?"

"My guess is - the film isn't real, I mean the acting - it isn't real. It's a film, like any other film, but somehow instead of an actress Nott has managed to insert a real figure from the past of the person watching the film."

"Draco Malfoy, always the genius," Nott smirked, before he started laughing helplessly again.

"So...this person from the past is..." Harry's mind was racing. So was his pulse.

Nott spoke up, "Anyone you want it to be Potter. But don't blame me. It's coming from you, not me."

"How are you doing this?" Draco quietly asked.

"I've imbued my system with the essence of Erised. Wasn't easy, I can tell you. But worth it... because now no one can ever say I don't give the audiences what they want." He was laughing again and the urge to hex him came back tenfold to Harry.

Draco withdrew a vial from his robe pocket just then and handed it to Nott. "Drink up if you know what's good for you."

"Oh Saint Malfoy. What did I ever do to deserve a friend like you?" joked Nott as he gulped down the potion. Apparently he was well acquainted with it. Then he slumped into the couch, his eyes closed.

"Did you just kill him?" Harry asked Draco with a hint of hope.

"Of course not Potter. It's a magical tranquilliser. When he opens his eyes in a moment you will find a docile Nott, willing to answer our questions, so we can get the hell out of here. Clear?"

Harry nodded. He would ask Draco about Nott's problem later. Seeing Nott was coming around Harry dragged over a chair right in front of him and sat down.

"Enough games, start talking. How well did you know Ginny Weasley?"

Nott coughed a little and sat up straighter. He gave Malfoy a truly dirty look before he turned to Harry and said, "Well let me see, how did that muggle story go... oh yes, how well did Adam know Eve?"

Harry threw Malfoy an exasperated look. Draco threw up his hands and said, "I can lead the horse to water but that's it. The answers are his own."

"Fine. So you were sleeping with Ginny?"

"Wasn't everyone?" At the burning look on Harry's face Nott said, "Oh - that's right. Not everyone, just you. By the way, love the expression Potter. I'll use it in my next film."

"Did you love her?" This came from Draco, who had not ventured a single question so far.

"I don't know how to love," said Nott. His face remained expressionless.

Harry was losing his cool quickly and shoved the business end of his wand back into Nott's face. It was time to get answers. Just then he felt Draco knock his hand down away from Nott. "He can't attack you. He can't even lie to you right now. There is no need to be aggressive Potter."

Harry took a deep breath and continued. "So you sleep with all the actresses you use in your movies?"

Nott shrugged. "Pretty much," he said with no apparent feeling.

Harry felt disgusted. "I hope Ginny was something to you. She was a brilliant actress and a kind person."

Nott laughed weakly, but the laughter was a mere shadow of its former self. "Who are you to talk, Mr. Famous Harry Potter? Here you are, running around solving her murder, but do you really, truly grieve her? Do you have a hole inside yourself where she used to be? Stop kidding yourself that she meant something to you. You didn't love her, you never did. You've only ever loved one person and that is yourself. Even Hermione Granger is a distant second."

All of this in a monotone from the slumped over man made a greater impression on Harry than shouting words from a Death Eater. For a moment he was rendered speechless.

Nott took the chance to drive in the final blow. "And Ginny knew. Potter, Ginny knew, because she never stopped loving you. God only knows why, but she loved you."

xoxoxoxoxo

It was a silent pair that left Nott's house shortly afterwards when they realised there wasn't much more to be gotten from the broken, half-crazed man. They did manage to get him to confirm that Ginny had been in LA till 2 days before the Cine Awards, and they got the name and contact details of her manager from him.

Both Harry and Draco were agreed on one thing - the murderer was not likely to be Nott. He was so utterly broken. Such a man could not have committed a crime of passion. Such a man could not have committed a cold blooded murder.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hi guys! The chapter below contains snippets of what could be called American colloquial pop culture. Just a disclaimer - when I talk to my friends **I speak just the way I have painted Cassy to be speaking**, so I am not trying to diss anyone or anyone's way of speaking at all. I have lived in the US and then the UK and I found the various contrasts really fascinating, and I was trying to bring some of them out. So take it in the right spirit because I am not trying to hate on anyone or anything._

xoxoxoxox

The American Dream

Draco was pacing impatiently inside Harry's office. Just then Harry stumbled in from the floo, out of breath. Draco stopped pacing and fixed him with his steely gaze.

"Eleven minutes. Eleven whole minutes. Here I am, waiting in _your _office, at the time _you_ decided, while you keep me waiting for eleven minutes!"

Harry knew Draco's obsession with punctuality and didn't try to make excuses to get out of his wrath. That would make this much, much worse. "I apologise. I didn't keep track of time, I'm sorry."

Draco huffed angrily. "There is a lot I would rather have done with this time than wait around for you, Potter."

Harry vaguely recalled hearing somewhere that Malfoy Industries earned two hundred thousand galleon every hour, so he was not going to argue with Draco on that one.

"Won't happen again."

Draco sniffed and said, "You were with her weren't you?"

Harry turned his eyes downwards as he said, "I just wanted to make sure she was all right after her reaction last night. I'm sorry Malfoy. Won't happen again"

Draco gruffly mumbled something inaudible.

"Pardon me?", Harry said.

"And was she?"

Harry looked blankly at Draco, not getting what he meant.

"All right, I mean."

"Yeh," Harry said with relief. "She was fine. She's holding up better now."

The Chief of Draco's team of seven assistants had the responsibility of maintaining a list. The list had the names of all the potential women that Draco could take on dates for the various functions he attended from time to time. It was a very skilfully curated list and it took a lot for a woman to be included in it. Rank was set not just on looks but also likeability and conversational skills.

Hermione Granger was number 1 on that list and had been so for the past decade. Draco had never given his office the go-ahead to actually approach her. It had never seemed like the right time, even after Ronald's death.

Now it looked like Harry was doing his best to ensure Draco was once again left waiting in the wings.

He exhaled a long suffering sigh.

"OK. Fine. Then let's go figure out what Ginny Weasley was doing in LA in her last few days, shall we?", he said.

xoxoxoxoxox

Harry and Draco had managed to obtain Ginny's travel schedule and meeting itinerary from her manager. Harry's plan was to retrace her three day long visit to figure out if anything out of the ordinary had transpired.

Her schedule had been tightly packed with shootings and business meetings, along with a few casual appointments. Harry and Draco painstakingly went from studio to studio, office to office, until they had spoken with almost everyone who had met with Ginny in LA. They found out that Ginny had had a gruelling work life, and had worked very hard for her success. Film-making wasn't just the glitzy glamorous world it appeared to be from the outside, it was a lot of sweat and blood. The film-makers and businessmen they met all seemed to have liked Ginny, and could not begin to guess at any motive that anyone might have had to kill her.

In other words, they found nothing that was useful to the case, and Draco was beginning to feel frustrated.

They were now on their way to meet one last person who had met Ginny. Cassy was a girlfriend that Ginny had made while working in the US. She was a younger witch who had been educated in an American wizarding school. She had started out as a model. Just a year or so ago she had gotten a break as a side actress in one of Ginny's films. She was becoming quite well known now, and Draco had seen one of her films with Blaise a couple months ago. In fact, she was somewhere on Draco's CA's list. Draco was trying to remember how high up on the list she was.

In any case, he remembered what she looked like, because that was hard to forget.

They'd followed the same plan with every meeting in LA of arranging it in the same place where Ginny had met each party so that they'd be able to explore or confirm any necessary angles. This one was a magical organic raw food joint, apparently quite a favourite of Ginny's as per her assistant. They apparated to the nearest point and walked the rest of the way in. It had a very earthy, very LA vibe, its four walls seemingly constructed from a mix of plants and glass. A heady stream of music filled the whole place and TV screens were positioned strategically throughout the restaurant showing slick dance videos. Harry gave their names to the hostess who smilingly led them to a table where their date was already seated.

Harry slowed down as they neared the table and he realised who they were meeting with. Draco didn't blame him. The girl was absolutely stunning. With a full, glowing figure, a head of long luxurious burgundy hair and the face of an angel, she would turn heads no matter what she would wear, but it so happened that she had on a slinky tube top and a pair of shorts. Draco saw Harry swallow, and stifled a smile.

"So maybe she's fairly high up", Draco thought.

The duo greeted her cordially and were taken aback when she stepped forward and hugged and kissed each of them in turn. Their British sensibilities were thrown for a loop. She carried on in that very open manner. "Any friend of Ginny's is a friend of mine. I just can't believe someone killed her! She was like, probably, the nicest witch ever."

Then realising she was talking loudly about a confidential murder case she mouthed "ooops", bringing her lips together in luscious "O" shape, looked around and turned back to whisper, "sorry!" in what Harry thought was a cute manner. Draco classified it as strike one.

Draco didn't _do_ dumb, no matter how good looking.

As she continued to talk about how close Ginny and she had been, Harry murmured sympathetic words and patted one of her hands that had somehow ended up in his own, Draco rolled his eyes. He saw that the girl seemed genuinely distressed even if her dress and makeup belied her feelings of grief. Starlets had to keep up appearances, he supposed.

"If you don't mind, Cassy, we'd like to know if there was anything in Ginny's manner when she met you Thursday, that seemed odd to you, or anything she said that showed she was upset about something?" Harry started by asking.

"She didn't seem upset, not at all. She definitely left our date a bit hurriedly, but she was happy, normal, the same as usual." The witch said with a sad smile.

"Well, could you please recount to us what you and Ginny talked about? The smallest detail might be helpful so please, jog your mind and tell us," said Harry.

_Big mistake. _

_Huge. _

Taking Harry's instructions quite literally, Cassy dived into the conversation she'd had with Ginny, which she remembered in remarkable and excruciating detail. Apparently she had quite a head for this.

"And then she said Pansy was planning to give a cr*ppy, oops, pardon my french, not-so-good review of Paul's performance in Papercut y'know, totally harsh, but she said that Paul had managed to send her a bracelet that was sparkly enough to change her mind, isn't that totally awful? Like, there is no integrity left these days. And oh yeah, Ginny was totally horrified by what Astoria wore to Lindsay's party last Friday y'know, total rip off of Ginny's style from the Miami gala and we both thought it was a frikkin' bi*ch move, excuse my language."

Did she not need to breathe, Draco wondered? He was mesmerised, watching her lips move and a stream of sounds coming out, but they barely made sense to him. He could honestly not discern if and when Cassy drew any breaths.

Besides, strike two. Draco hated cussing.

"And of course everyone was talking about Brad's split with Jess y'know, everyone is wondering when he'll get out there again, I mean, to date. I guess it's kinda awful the way people gossip around here. And oh yea, in the middle of like this totally amazing story I was telling about this girl who is a friend of a friend, Tara, who slept with like, both the lead actors in Broken Moon in the span of like two hours, Ginny just sort of got up, _totally in the middle of the best part by the way_, and said she had to go. That's what I found weird about her that day. She never did that to me before. Like, ever. She was a good listener."

Draco sensed this was important and spoke for the first time in the meeting.

"Cassy - I want you to slow down and think really careful about this one all right? First - are you absolutely certain that you were talking about Clara when Ginny got up in the middle of your story?"

Cassy batted at her eyelashes at Draco, leaning towards him such that her not-insubstantial cleavage became ever more apparent.

"Tara, not Clara. I'm absolutely sure, I was quite shocked that she didn't seem to care about the flippancy with which some witches behave in their relationships y'know? It's so totally not my style, I want to stick with my one perfect man...as soon as I find him."

_Fini._ Draco made a mental note to ask his Chief Assistant to remove her from the list altogether.

"Right. Tara. But you said Ginny didn't know Tara? Was there any reason she could be upset by this? She knew the gentlemen in question perhaps?"

Cassy thought hard. "No, no, I'm pretty sure she didn't know these folks. She just didn't register what I was saying y'know? There was no like, spark of recognition."

"Could it be then that she wasn't reacting to your story?"

Cassy chewed her lip in what she hoped was a fifty shades manner. She really wanted to see a few more shades of Draco. "Yeah, I think she was just thinking about something else. Or maybe she got some news on those little mobile telephones or the TV that she didn't like, I mean she was always tracking when Astoria or Brooke would get a film she was also trying for. It really bummed her out. Maybe that's what happened."

Draco had to give it her, she was trying hard to help. "Actually, Ginny didn't use a cell phone at all. How would she receive news on the TV if she was having lunch here with you?"

"Oh, a bit earlier on in the day they sometimes put the news on y'know? For the older crowd that comes in at that time. I think we'd met a bit earlier that day because she wasn't free in the evening."

Harry was deeply intrigued by this announcement. According to Ginny's schedule, they had indeed met at 2pm on Thursday, much earlier than their 6pm meeting today. This could explain the whole incident and tell them why Ginny was upset. "Do you remember if the news was playing that day? Do you remember what news channel or news item it was?"

Cassy's legendary memory for gossip failed her entirely at that point. "Sorry guys. I just don't know, boring stuff just sort of goes past my head y'know?"

xoxoxoxoxox

Making sure the girl remembered nothing else of importance, Draco and Harry managed to say their goodbyes with only a moderately inappropriate number of kisses. They went straight to the restaurant's manager and, making a flimsy excuse about a survey, asked him which TV channels the restaurant typically played in the afternoons. The manager confirmed they played news and local interest channels till 3pm every day, mainly Merlin News, and that they switched over the channels after that. Both of them thanked him hurriedly and rushed off, leaving him staring after them bemusedly.

Next they found themselves walking into Merlin News' studios where they quickly charmed a wizard into believing he was taking them on a guided tour (Harry consoled himself that it wasn't Unforgivable if it was just a suggestion, not an order.) Somehow escaping the wizard's company when they reached the archives, they made their way inside the room full of CDs quietly. When they came upon two muggles working in the back of the room Harry quietly stunned them, wincing "sorry" when they fell down rather heavily on the floors.

"No wonder Auror brutality is causing so much uproar in the newspapers Potter", Draco said with a smirk.

"Shut up Malfoy and look for the CD with the telecast on Thursday between 2pm and 3pm."

Both the wizards worked in silence for a while till suddenly Draco said "Found it."

"Phew - thank Merlin, these guys would have come around and I really didn't want to have to stun them again. Back to the offices for a bit of news?" Harry suggested, and turned around to disapparate. Draco followed suit.

xoxoxoxooxox

Draco and Harry watched through the two CDs for the two different channels Merlin News had in LA. There didn't seem to be anything pertinent to Ginny in any of the CDs. In fact, none of the news items seemed to be pertain to anything relevant.

There was a piece of news about mass killings in a middle eastern country, but the footage showed enough havoc for Draco and Harry to conclude that this was definitely a mess made by muggles.

There was another interesting story about a local lawsuit where a witch had been accused of cheating and financial fraud in the community. A series of witnesses had described how she had known people's financials decisions before they made them the next day.

The news item went on to say that she performed "distance legilimency", a highly advanced and extremely rare form of legilimency where she didn't need to be with the victim. She practiced it on her neighbours at night while they slept. As a result they never knew or felt that their minds had been searched. Her modus operandi first came under suspicion because all the victims suffered from nightmares and hallucinations for several days afterwards - distance legilimency was so harsh on the victims' minds. Magical authorities researching this for several weeks had finally ascertained the cause of the symptoms.

Law makers were not able to prove that the woman actually did it but she was jailed due to the overwhelming circumstantial evidence against her.

"Too bad we aren't in Britain. This is one time the way everyone fawns over you might have come in handy, if it got us a meeting with this lady. I bet there's something in here we should know, but I don't get it," Draco said, annoyed that they had seemingly hit another dead end.

"Yeh, no such luck. Its up to us to figure it out this time," Harry agreed morosely.


	7. Chapter 7

The Beach Boys

It had been three days since the murder and Harry was tired, angry and restless.

Tired because he had all but given up on sleep to work on the case.

Angry because his impatient nature wanted results, and wanted good news to give to the Weasleys, and there had been no further clarity.

And finally, he was restless because the case was keeping him too busy to check in on the Weasleys or Hermione.

He had gone in to work early to go over all the information they had gathered once more, but as soon as he had settled down in his chair, there was a knock on his door.

"Come in" he muttered in exhaustion.

"Good morning sweetheart." It was Draco, shining like a newly minted galleon. Honestly, the amount of gold the man spent on his appearance could feed a small country.

Harry ignored his high spirits. "Malfoy. What brings you in so early?" Draco was seldom in a good mood but right now the bon homie was rolling off him in waves. Inexplicably, Harry wanted to hex him.

He was_ so_ tired.

"You all packed for Aruba?"

"We're doing to Aruba? Why?," asked Harry in confusion.

"Because your brilliant partner has just come up with our next lead." Draco said.

"Malfoy - I am not going on wild goose chase with you unless you tell me exactly what you're talking about." Harry said with his best attempt at an authoritative tone. It never worked on Malfoy.

"Oh, ok, _Chief," _Draco's tone was full of sarcasm. "While you were sitting around moaning, I was at The Dorchester for an early meeting and found Clive Gold having a business meeting not two sofas away."

"Is this in the business centre of the hotel?"

"Yes. There are small spaces that have muffling charms so that business guests at the hotel can have meetings there and save some time. Guests have the option of drawing down dividers for further privacy but my staff tells me Clive Gold never bothers with that."

"And? What did you see?" Harry asked impatiently.

"I don't know who he was meeting with but I was sitting a couple sofas away from him and facing him. There was a moment when he glanced my way and recognised me. He raised his hand in greeting. I took that moment of eye contact to take a little sojourn through his brain when he was not expecting it."

Harry wouldn't admit it but he was impressed at Draco's present mindedness. In interrogations Harry and Draco had their modus operandi worked out. Harry usually led with the questions and left the non verbal checks to Draco. These included observation of body language and some basic legilimency. This division suited their personalities and skills as well.

The duo were experienced enough to know that when being questioned, even innocent witches and wizards expected an invasion of privacy through legilimency. Since pretty much everybody had some skeleton or the other in their closet, most people would guard their private thoughts at least a little, to the best extent of their occlumency abilities. Not until there was an arrest warrant for a person could they grill them with veritaserum and get to the bottom of things. This was not easy to do for Clive Gold given the sensitive political dynamic.

"Only after a few moments after he saw me looking at him, did he bother with any mental walls. He is a decent occlumens but there was a momentary lapse on his part."

"Was there something new?"

"You know I was focusing on sifting through his recollection of the awards night when we met with him. I had also gone through his memories of his Caribbean holiday but found no clear memory of Ginny being there. This time I focused on checking if there was something else that could lead us to confirm whether she had been there with him."

"What did you find?" Harry asked eagerly.

"I saw a sign post with the name of a beach - Eagle Beach. Right underneath that was a pointer arrow for Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts, Aruba. I saw a beach shack behind the signs with a board, "Mel's Surfboards"."

"This is great. We should check out that lead," Harry said enthusiastically. "Was there anything else?"

"I also found a memory of Clive stepping off his yacht. The name of the yacht was not _Equality, _as is noted in the International Aurors Alliance records. This was a ship called _Justice_."

"Maybe the man has two yachts?" Harry suggested.

"Undoubtedly, I wouldn't be surprised if he had more. I can only assume this is the one he uses when he wants to go incognito since it's off the records. One can only wonder why he was trying for all the privacy." Draco mused.

"Well - he is a well known guy, maybe fending off the paparazzi that would undoubtedly follow him around otherwise." Harry shuddered, mentally picturing Skeeter.

"Or maybe he has something to hide."

"Since when did you become so suspicious of Clive Gold? I thought you said he was a "Clean Chap"," said Harry, throwing up two fingers of both hands in the universal gesture for quotation marks.

"Doesn't mean I won't be thorough Potter," smirked Draco. "Now, pack up your swimming trunks because I have a portkey setting off in oh... seven minutes," he added, glancing at his watch.

oxoxoxoxoxo

Draco and Harry found the sign that Draco had read in Clive's mind without any problems. The only issue was the sign was literally in the middle of nowhere. Having appeared in the beach practically at the waterline, Draco and Harry walked further inland and then saw the sign for Mel's Surfboards shack. The changing patterns on the cheerful sign made it clear that this was a magical area of the beach.

"Do you think it's worth a try to check if the shopkeeper saw anything?" asked Draco as he looked up and down the beach.

"Of course...as I always say, try everything once", Harry quipped, and they both walked up to the beach shack. There was a lone woman there who looked to be of North American origin. She smiled at the two men in a friendly manner as they approached.

"Hi - we're wondering if you know of a ship called _Justice_ that docked here a week or ten days ago?" Harry asked her.

Her expression immediately became guarded. "And who might you be?" she asked.

"We are aurors from Britain who are looking into the murder of a young actress called Ginny Weasley," said Harry, whipping out a photograph of Ginny to show her. "Have you seen this woman on this beach in recent weeks?"

"No," she said, and she sounded completely genuine. "I have never seen her before in my life."

Harry slumped a bit even as he felt Draco stiffen up his back next to him. "OK, what about the ship _Justice_?"

The woman's expression again became guarded. "This is a private beach. There are many ships that dock here from time to time and the owners are very careful about maintaing their privacy."

Harry understood this to me she had been paid off well to keep the details of the ship and its owner to herself.

Knowing there was no point in further questions they said their thanks and walked on.

"This investigation is turning into one of those horrid nightmares where you keep running into dead ends," grumbled Harry as Draco and he moved out of earshot of the shopkeeper.

"Speak for yourself Potter. I thought that was an _extremely_ useful discussion," said Draco. He sounded angry.

"What happened?," asked Harry.

"If Clive Gold has nothing to hide, why did he pay off this woman to keep mum about his holiday here?"

"Privacy concerns, I suppose..", started Harry.

"Even if we believe that - riddle me this Potter." seethed Draco. "If she has never seen Ginny before in her life, _why did I find a memory of Ginny and Clive Gold walking on this beach arm in arm, in her head?"_

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Harry and Draco returned to their offices in Britain to figure out their next steps. Both Aurors were fast becoming certain of Clive's implication in Ginny's murder. They had been talking over their alternatives for a few hours and it was almost the end of the work day. Harry broke out the Fire Whiskey for his aching head.

"You're right Malfoy. I can't think of another motive than a lovers' spat. Maybe he found out Ginny was sleeping with Nott," said Harry, downing his first drink in one gulp and pouring himself another one.

"This is the reason why bureaucracy in law enforcement makes me sick. You'd think the woman's memory of Ginny and Gold on the beach should be enough to get a warrant on Gold" said Draco to Harry, as each sipped his drink.

"Yeh.. Its unfortunate. I am going to check with Hermione when I see her later tonight but as far as I know there has been no legal precedent since Groust vs. the County of Wiltshire seven years ago, that memories were admissible as proofs to get an arrest warrant." Harry ignored Draco's narrowed eyes at the mention of Harry's late rendezvous. "We will need to veritaserum her, and I am not sure if she will crack. I'm sure Gold is not a sloppy wizard who would leave her there without making sure she was not able to reveal anything," he added.

"Dark magic? Or an Oath of secrecy you think? You don't think he'd have found it easier to just get rid of her?" asked Draco.

"Well, yeh, that would indeed have been easier. It'd be easy to do it surreptitiously on that little island. I wonder why he didn't have her killed off as well. " mused Harry.

"Who knows?" wondered Draco, adding in a soft tone, "Maybe it was the first time he killed."

At that moment Harry's wand alarm went off. He looked up at Draco, startled. "I need to go to tea at the Weasleys', I told them I would drop by at this time to update them. I want to make sure they are doing all right." said Harry, finishing his drink in a gulp and then standing to stretch.

"Should we meet at the bar in your hotel later today evening to compare notes?" he asked Draco.

Draco grimaced. "Sure Potter. And tell you what, since you like that damn place so much," standing up to follow Harry out, he said, "drinks are on me tonight."

oxoxoxoxoxo

At 10pm that same evening, Draco and Harry met in the lobby of The Dorchester. The moment Draco looked at Harry he knew something was terribly wrong. He began to ask him what was wrong but Harry's expression told him plainly to wait till they were seated in a secure place. Both wizards took the elevator to the rooftop bar of the hotel, where they were taken to a private booth. Draco knew the security measures already in place but further added some muffling and anti-eavesdropping charms around the area.

"Wouldn't it just have been easier to meet in the offices?" he grumbled to Harry as they both took their seats.

Harry blushed slightly. "You're right but I told Hermione to come directly here when she finished up at work. I wanted to ask her about the Groust case and in any event, I thought it might do her a bit of good to go to a lively place."

Draco simply nodded. Then added, "Why did you look like death when I saw you just now? Did something happen?"

Harry sighed long and deep as he leant his head against the cool glass of his drink that had magically appeared of the table in front of them. "Malfoy - I think we are dealing with not one, but two homicides."

Draco visibly blanched. "Really? Who is the second victim?"

Harry's face seemed to have aged ten years in the last few hours. "My best friend, Ronald Weasley." He finally said.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

Draco listened as Harry related the events of the afternoon that had led him to formulate this conclusion. When he had gone to the Weasleys' for dinner, he had found Molly, Arthur, Charlie and Fleur at home. Bill, Charlie and Fleur had all taken some time off and temporarily moved back into the Burrow to help out in these sad times. Molly was still on the edge of a breakdown and Arthur's grief and stress was palpable.

Although not allowed to discuss sensitive details of the case, Harry had hastened to tell the family that significant progress was being made in the investigation and they were hopeful of making an arrest in the next few days. Molly had taken some heart from this and drank some tea, and was in some slightly better shape overall. Harry was glad to have consoled her even a little, and was on the verge of making his excuses to return to the office when she suddenly said, as a non sequitur to Harry's remarks on the case.

"I wish I had never taken the clock off the wall."

"The Weasley Clock? Why do you say that?" he asked gently.

"I was in the attic going through some of Ginny's things," Molly said with moist eyes. "When I found the clock again. The Ginny hand was frozen at Mortal Peril, the last position it was in before she died. If I hadn't taken the clock off the wall, I could have warned her. But after what happened with Ron, well... I really thought the clock was broken now. Oh, Harry.." she was sobbing now.

"After what happened with Ron?" Harry repeated. "What happened with Ron?"

Molly wiped her tears and said. "The clock stopped working properly a couple years ago. The Ron hand was on Mortal Peril for so many days then. I had gotten worried and asked him to come home then, I thought it was the drugs he was taking that were putting him in danger. But then he came back and died of an allergy. If I hadn't called him back he would have been all right. I thought then I should never have listened to the clock, that its a piece of junk magic. I put it in the attic then."

Arthur sat down next to her on the sofa and put his arm around her, "Maybe when one's time is up it's up. Maybe you couldn't have done anything to change the course of events. Don't do this to yourself, sweetheart."

Neither person realised that Harry had jumped up off the sofa, his brain working full speed.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"So - if what Molly saw is correct, then not only was Ronald's death a murder, it was significantly pre-meditated. Is that your conclusion as well?" Draco asked Harry a he finished relating the events of the afternoon.

"Yeh. I don't know how I missed this before. It's just... Ron was in such poor shape that the thought never occurred to me that someone might have been trying to off him. There really was no motive anywhere. On top of everything else he died at home having breakfast that Molly cooked. Unless we think his own mother poisoned him, there was nothing to do in that case. It was as open and shut as it could have been." Regret laced every word Harry spoke.

"Except it wasn't", Draco said, taking a sip of his muggle scotch. He had found that when things got really rough nothing helped like a good muggle single malt.

"I've already asked my friend at the coroner's office to go over the remaining physical evidence and autopsy report and let me know anything that might be relevant. He is going to get back to me in a couple hours," saying this, Harry downed his drink and slumped down.

His heart went out to Harry, crumpled as he was on the chair across from him.

Harry had been dealing with Ginny's death the best way he knew how - by jumping into action. Having always been an impulsive, courageous, but not the cleverest of fellows, this was the very reason Harry and Draco made such a good team. Where Harry rushed, Draco tarried. Where Harry concluded, Draco pondered. Where Harry went fearlessly, Draco thought twice.

Draco knew his partner well enough to know that Harry and Ginny had indeed drifted apart. Having broken up all those years ago, Ginny had moved on in her career and her life, spending much of her time overseas. But he had never had the benefit of this distance with Ron. Even as Ron dated the woman he loved, Harry and Ron and Hermione remained the best of friends, the eternal golden trio. When Ron had started to fall apart from the pressures of professional quidditch, Draco had heart of many a weekend trip Harry and Hermione would make to visit Ron and shore him up.

Draco knew well enough to know the blame game Harry would now play with himself over Ron's death. It was not going to be pretty.

Harry was so upset that even when Draco waved Hermione over to join them, there was no change in his mood. He remained thoughtful and quiet, clearly going over every detail he remembered regarding Ron's case. Draco ordered Hermione's drink and she asked Harry if he was all right, to which he absent mindedly replied in the affirmative. Finally unable to take anymore, he jumped up out of his chair and grabbing his cloak, said to the seated dup, "Sorry both - I need to run and check something. Draco, will you check with Hermione regarding the Groust case?" Draco nodded, surprised.

"Mione," Harry said, bending down to talk to her, "I'm sorry about this. I just need to check a few things about the case. Please, have a drink and relax tonight, you've been so strung up. Draco will take you home safely, won't you Malfoy?"

Draco again nodded while Hermione placed her hand on his arm and said, "Of course Harry. You take care."

"He must be really worried about the case to leave me alone with her." As Harry disappeared around the corner, Draco thought to himself.

Then turning around to Hermione he smiled and said, "Another daiquiri for you?"

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

A/N: Guys, I suggest readers read through the below, and then if you deem it appropriate, please discontinue reading my story because if things are a certain way I have no motivation to continue it anyway.

Few points -

1) **This is not a romance fic.** I reiterate, if you ship anything, or love any one pairing like crazy, and want to read primarily about that, then please don't bother reading on since I don't want to deal with the sort of reviews that get submitted by shippers when their desired pairing does not materialize.

2) **Etiquette of reviewing:** If you are going to be impolite, or sarcastic, please take your review elsewhere. [I had a bit of rant here which I am deleting because hopefully just this gets my point across].

Because what it makes me want to do is take the story off here and put it somewhere else.


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